Thousands Rally Around Ten Commandments Judge

Thousands of people, including Christian families and longhaired bikers for Jesus, rallied Saturday to support a judge who refuses to remove a display of the Ten Commandments over his bench.

The demonstration for Judge Roy Moore turned into a litany against liberal courts, abortion, television and civil libertarians.

“We are drawing a line in the sand and saying, ‘Devil, you’ve taken enough from us!’ ” the Rev. Clifford Terrell shouted from the white marble steps of the Alabama Capitol, where the Confederacy was born and voting-rights marchers rallied in 1965.

With Confederate flags and countless posters of the Ten Commandments waving overhead, Moore told the crowd, “Your presence today will send a message across this nation. That message is clear: We must--nay, we will--have God back in America again.”

An Alabama court has found that Moore’s display of the Ten Commandments violates the Constitution by promoting one religion in a government setting. Moore is appealing the decision, and Gov. Forrest “Fob” James Jr. has threatened to call out the National Guard and state troopers if anyone tries to remove Moore’s plaque.

“By defending his liberty, we preserve freedom for all Americans,” James said at the rally.

The judge, a Baptist, invites others to pray with him in court--as long as they’re not Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist. “We are not a nation founded upon the Hindu god or Buddha,” he said earlier.

Organizers said Capitol police estimated the crowd at 20,000 to 25,000 people, but it did not appear nearly as large as the one assembled for the 1965 rally at the close of the Selma-to-Montgomery voting-rights march, when a reported 25,000 gathered at the same spot.